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SLA 3d printing for small plastic gears and parts

Spook

By Spook
in Tools & Equipment

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Spook

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As I'm progressing in my knowledge from just being able to regulate and adjust to minimize beat error I've been looking at the 7S26 that I have with my Seiko 5 beater watch. I've heard numerous mentions of being careful that you don't break the plastic gears, particularly in vintage watches.

There is a solution for that. With a bit of CAD skills you can print replacement gears and parts. The cheaper filament based printing isn't precise enough but laser based SLA can print features down to 100 microns it should be sufficient for all but the tiniest parts. More than just gears and components it can also be used for custom tools within the limits of the materials used.

The Form 2 is the printer I would look at unless you want to step into commercial pricing.

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Spook Member

Spook

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25 minutes ago, jdm said:

Do you have that machine? Have you made any gears already?

I sold my first one to a friend when I left the country for a year long contract. I figured something better would come along. It's quite capable of making the gears with those dimensions

If you don't want to put the time in money into learning how to operate a printer. Shapeways is an option as they have much better equipment. You can upload a STL file and get as many as you want. There are a few other services, but Shapeways is one I have experience with.

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Spook Member

Spook

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The biggest utility is being able to make spare parts for things that are incredibly hard to find, vintage Seikos come to mind. An SLA printer would be a huge asset to a clockmaker. I don't know all of the ways a watchmaker could use it, but being able to print out custom movement holders on demand, complete with pushers built in for chronographs with zero assembly required can save quite a bit of money in the long run.

Have a stubborn case back? Well 3d print a nylon rig that engages all the notches on the back to open it with zero chance of scratching it. You can print custom spacer rings on demand for movements too, and also any kind of tray or dust protector you need. It's a very useful tool in many areas.

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